In a blow to the high street, a major clothing retailer with over 100 stores across the UK has announced the closure of its branch in Dereham, Norfolk. The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, a British clothing company founded in 1946, is shutting down its store in the town’s shopping centre.
Large signs in the shop windows now alert customers that the store is “closing down” and that “all stock must go”. The signage also reveals the reason for the Dereham branch’s closure, with smaller text stating that the decision is “subject to landlord negotiations”.
The Dereham store first opened in 2005 as one of the shopping centre’s initial tenants. The nearest remaining Edinburgh Woollen Mill locations are in Thetford, King’s Lynn, and Great Yarmouth. This closure follows a trend of other well-known brands, including Wilko, CarpetRight, HomeBase, and WHSmith, shutting down their Dereham stores in recent years.
Despite the Dereham closure, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill has been actively expanding its retail presence. In 2025, the company opened new stores in Stratford-upon-Avon, Wrexham, Chirk, Perth, Wimbourne, Skipton, Woodbridge, and Ayr.
The Edinburgh Woollen Mill is a British clothing retailer that specialises in cashmere and knitwear for men and women. The company has a long history, having been founded in 1946 and based in Carlisle. Over the years, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill has acquired several other retail brands, including Ponden Home, Jane Norman, Peacocks, Austin Reed, and Bonmarche.
The company faced financial difficulties in 2020 and went into administration, but was subsequently bought by an international consortium of investors, who also acquired Bonmarche and Ponden Home. In 2021, Peacocks was also brought out of administration by a senior executive backed by an international investment group, separating it from the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.
As of 2026, the Edinburgh Woollen Mill operates approximately 100 retail stores across the UK and Ireland, focusing on high street locations, tourist spots, and garden centre concessions.
